I believe that standard business ethics cannot be possible internationally. Culture varies from society to society. The change in culture varies due to various reasons it depends on economic and legal factors. Political and legal factors play a vital role and that differentiate from one culture to another that is why I believe that business ethics can never be universal. Considering the example of China where government put a check on online information. Google has a big concern over the Chinese market because many web pages were blocked within that region. Culture also have great influence in emerging economies as it can be observed that in many countries offering expensive gifts in corporate world is consider as bribe especially in United States or Canada while in few countries it is ethically acceptable.
Here, sharing expensive gifts even to politician in power is illegal but companies provide them as a bribe otherwise they will not receive any favors from the government. To run smooth business it is important to not to have any barriers for that company avail this option of gifting bribe to high officials even the foreign corporation does not hesitate to follow this same practice. Chinese is suppose to be as the big market, which helps in generating revenues because of this reason Google had to change their ethical rules for China, and has to follow their rules and Chinese government also did not them to lose.
The role of cooperation is to establish a relation of profit that creates a support to their investors. The rules and laws of the corporation follows the sets, which are made by National Government of the country where they are operating however, they do not mainly play a role in changing the ethics of the c...
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When travelling for business between different countries it’s very important to understand the different ethical practices. When looking into the different ethical business practices in organizations we will look at the four largest and fastest developing countries which are commonly known as BRIC; Brazil, Russia, India, and China. There are many similarities between these countries; however India and Brazil seem to have a more favorable ethics rating than China and Russia. While there are similar perceptions on ethical business practices, these ideas are not shared globally. As these four countries grow economically, it’s becoming more important for business leaders to understand their ethical differences.
Schein in his book “Organizational Culture and Leadership” explains how different believes and behaviors start to be logical when we understand their cultures by stating “When we learn to see the world through cultural lenses, all kinds of things begin to make sense that initially were mysterious, frustrating, or seemingly stupid” (2010, p. 13). This kind of foresight should be the starting point in order to manage the tremendously growing diversity in the workforce nowadays. Leaders and administrators of both public and private organizations through their influence are responsible to promote and manage diversity in an ethical manner.
Business ethics simply can be defined as the application of business values in the business practice of a company (Seawell 2010, p. 2). For a multinational company, business ethics is one of the critical aspects need to be taken into account in business decision-making processes. Failure to give attention on ethics may bring consequences on company’s reputation (Meyer & Jebe 2010, p. 159). The company is expected not only to pursue its own profits but also contributing to the environmental and social welfare of the community where it operates (Svensson & Wood 2008, p. 308).
Broadly defined business ethics is, knowing the difference between what is right and what is wrong. It is the written and unwritten, principles and values that govern how decisions are made within a company (Cross & Miller, 2012). The focus of business ethics is to identify the moral standard, and provides guidelines to follow when making tough ethical decisions. Unethical behavior is typically the result of corrupted interactions between individuals within the organization (Brown & Mitchell, 2010). Many times, unethical acts steam for behaviors that are socially or culturally acceptable within the organization. Ethical behavior can enhance a work environment and maximizes contentment, while unethical behavior may have the opposite affect. Not only can this behavior cause stress in the work place, there is the possibility of it ruining a business (Cross & Miller, 2012). Unlike corporate governance, ethical standards are not as easy to define. A code of ethics expresses fundamental principles and provides guidance to decision makers, but there are no set rules written into a code of ethics. A code of conduct is created using a company’s code of ethics. It is a statement of standard that discloses how a company chooses to conduct its business activities (Driscoll &Hoffman, 2011). Following the scandals of the early 2000’s, many companies adopted a code of conduct to ensure the compliance
In conclusion, companies that seek to integrate into global markets usually encounter several problems because of the effect of globalization on business practices. The challenges originating from such integration is attributed to the differences in cultures in various societies across the globe. As evident in Google’s dilemma in China, there is no single set of universal ethics that are applicable to all settings and societies across the globe. Companies such as Google need to develop varying ethical standards that are relevant and appropriate to various nations and cultures in the world. This would enable the companies that are integrating into global markets to avoid ethical issues while maintaining effective business practices.
Today, Business Ethics is the conduct that businesses carry in its daily dealings with the business partners, consumers and employees. However, the concept of ethics in businesses can be different for companies.
As legal scholar and philosopher David Luban explains, “You can’t teach good judgment through general rules, because you already need judgment to know how rules apply. Judgment is therefore always and irredeemably particular” which means, ethics are not alone enough to make a legal organization. Though ethics are morally influences us lot it is needed. Ethics in business is very important because it affect not only to the employees and employers of the organizations but also to the whole society is affected by it. Though ethical organization can attract and keep investors it is not the only benefit of it. Investors can invest their valuable money peacefully with confident of their money is save. Employees know that they are not allowed with unethical behaviors and finally customers can buy products which are worth to the money they spend. Ultimately, one of the most difficult assets of the company, reputation, can be built through ethics very easily without wasting extra money on unnecessary promotional
Diversity problems are currently thought of necessary and are projected to become even more necessary within the future because of increasing variations within the U.S. population. Corporations ought to target diversity and appearance for tactics to become all-inclusive organizations as a result of diversity has the potential of yielding bigger productivity and competitive blessings (SHRM, 1995). Stephen G. Butler, co-chair of the Business-Higher Education Forum, believes that diversity is a useful competitive asset that America cannot afford to ignore (Robinson, 2002). Managing and valuing diversity may be a key part of effective individuals management, which might improve work productivity (Black Enterprise, 2001).
Jefferson P. Marquis, Nelson Lim, Lynn M. Scott, Margaret C. Harrell, Jennifer Kavanagh "Managing Diversity in Corporate America, An Exploratory Analysis" Rand Corporation. Web. 29 June 2015.
Cultural sensitivity and cultural intelligence are vital to the success of the leaders as well as the associates of a given organization. Successful organizations have programs that focus on cross-cultural training as well as conflict resolution. Reguieg (2014) also stated that cross-cultural training is the most effective means for increasing the understanding and awareness for individuals who are confronted with cultures outside of their own! Organizations looking to achieve cultural diversity must have the buy-in from the executive level leadership and be willing to hold themselves and others accountable for achieving diversity in the workforce. Recent studies show the organizations are embarking on diversity training for a great number of reasons, but the ability to compete on a global level is the stand out. According to Lockhart (2002), “The ability of organizations to effectively compete in a global economy increasingly depends on their competence in managing their diverse human resources for strategic advantage” (p.1). Diversity and cross-cultural training are necessary initiatives for organizations that want to make a difference on a global scale and back home in diverse
The modern theory of the firm, which is central to finance and corporate law, views the corporation as a of contracts among the various corporate constituencies. Upon this foundation, finance theory and corporate law postulate shareholder wealth as the objective of the firm. Research in business ethics has largely ignored this contracts theory of the firm except to reject the financial-legal model as normatively inadequate. Philosophers generally bring philosophical theories of ethics to bear on problems of business, and they regard the contractual theory of the firm primarily as a subject for criticism using the resources of philosophical ethics. In particular, stakeholder theory, which stresses the importance of all groups that affect or are affected by a firm, has been proposed as a more adequate theory of the firm for studying business ethics.
We live in a country that is fueled by diversity. Cultural-sectioned neighborhoods, food, relationships, and clothing are prevalent all across the nation. There is a great need for diversity to be socially accepted. The fact is, is that diversity includes everyone, no one is alienated from being diverse; therefore, it is necessary for organizations to develop a platform for employers and employees to comprehend and acknowledge cultural differences through extensive training and collaboration, without jeopardizing the success of the organization. However, the challenge that most organizations face these days, is how to properly implement the inclusion of diversity in a global market, while promoting cultural awareness in the workplace.
America is often referred to as “The Melting Pot” of the world. With this appellation, it is not wrong to assume that the U.S. has one of the most diverse cultures. Conversely, a majority percentage of people in America would disagree with this sentiment and argue that the U.S. is comprised of many subgroups. These subgroups vary based on race and skin color and are hardly “melted” together. This apparent racial divide is very common in many American corporations as well. Management researchers have found that maintaining a racially diverse workforce has been proven to have many important benefits within a corporation. For example, having a racially diverse workforce can help match the culture of the customers in the economy to build trust, provide new and differing insights, and right some of the wrongs caused by racism and sexism in our society. Facilitating diversity is not easy, and many organizations have encountered challenges from attempting to do so. Fortunately, there actions that organizations can take to overcome these challenges in order to make diversity a reality.
Western culture norms concerning business differ from other countries. Organizations that work internationally must be trained and aware of these differences in business ethics. Without proper awareness or training, the company can damage ties internationally. For example, China and the U.S. differ drastically in business practices. The cause of this is because of their differing cultures. In order for their business to work efficiently both Chinese and American workers must find the right balance between the two cultures. For instance, Chinese cultures suggest harmony in everything including business. Sudden change is seen as dangerous to them whereas Americans are use to the hustle and bustle of everyday business techniques. Another differences in business ethics between China and the U.S. include: relationships, touch, subtleness and many more differences. Americans believe their friendships are bounded by legal contracts in business thus making them superficial while the Chinese view business relationships as a life-long commitment. While the Chinese refrain from touching or physical contact, Americans use handshakes or eye contact to show appreciation or fondness. This could be seen as uncomfortable or insulting to the Chinese business cultures (Pitta, D., Fung, H., & Isberg, S. (999). Western culture and Chinese culture differ dramatically along with other cultures that do